In the Woods
by talker32332
Summary: What if Katniss had taken to the woods like she'd originally planned to? What if she hadn't stuck around for the Quell? She does just this, taking her friends and family and running off, hoping to be safe. but all she does is create a martyr at home, and at this point nobody is safe, not even in the woods. Disclaimer- I own nothing.


The cold air bites at my cheeks. Why was Gale so mad? Why couldn't he see what was slapping me hard in the face? Nobody was safe anymore. Not the rich, not the poor. Unless we ran, we wouldn't last another month, tops.

Why did Gale want to fight, couldn't he see what was so inevitable? Fighting would bring death, and death wouldn't help anyone.

The conversation still bounced around inside my skull. I couldn't believe his nerve.

_"Gale... if I asked you to run off into the woods, away from the District, would you do it?"_

_He had replied slowly_._ "Depends. Why do you ask?"_

_"Because President Snow wants to kill us. He thinks that when I held out those berries in the Games, I enticed rebellion, and now the Districts are rebelling. Peeta and I tried to stop it but... we failed."_

_Gale was silent for a long time._ _"That's a lot to take in."_

_I'd nodded._ _"I know. But people are dying. We need to leave, take to the woods and never return. It isn't safe here."_

_Gale hadn't answered_. _"Well... will you come?" I eventually broke in._

_Gale's face was hard. He seemed mad, glaring at me. "No."_

_"No? NO? Gale, what is wrong with you? If we don't leave, we'll die!" I'd screamed. Why couldn't he see what was as clear as day?_

_"Because, Katniss, this could be our chance. We could end all of the starvation, the poor conditions, the Hunger Games- we could be free."_

_"And that's worth dying for? What's freedom if you can't experience it?"_

_"I really can't believe it's YOU who's saying this, Katniss. I would have thought that you of all people would have wanted to end the Games for good!"_

_"I do, Gale! But I don't want-"_

_"You don't want what? For everything to get better? Kids not dropping dead of starvation everyday? Us not being endlessly slaughtered in The Hunger Games?"_

_"I don't want everything I love and know to be wiped out! Freedom is not worth these prices, Gale! All we'll do is get shot down into flames! Then where will our freedom be?"_

_"Maybe, Katniss, sometimes you should think of people other than yourself. I know that you never want to have kids, but what about the others? Who do want kids? Who can't run away? We need to fight for them!" In his anger, Gale threw down the dead wild turkey that he must have been attempting to kill twice over by strangling it in his fist._

_"It's not about them, Gale!"_

_"It's all about them, Katniss. You can be so selfish sometimes."_

_I was silent. His words stung. But the worst part was, they were true. I was selfish. I was a selfish prat, who only cared about herself. But that didn't mean that I was wrong._

_"What about Prim? Rue?" He'd kept pressing me._

_Just hearing him speak of Rue had set me to my limits. Quick as lightning, I'd raised my hand and slapped him in the face. Hard. "Don't. You. Ever. Speak of. The Games. Or Rue. Again. You don't even know what it's really like, to have your life on the line out there. It's not so simple, Gale."_

_I had turned and walked form the conversation right then._

It had ended right there. I heard Gale calling me back, but I'd ignored him. He wanted to die like a trapped mouse, fine. It was his choice.

I have reached my street. I think about going to talk to Peeta about my plan, but what use would it be? I wasn't about romance or love; at this point I didn't understand my mixed feelings for Peeta and Gale. It didn't matter anyway. But all those years in the woods- hunting and trying to stay alive- it had to mean something. As mad as I was at Gale, I couldn't just grab Peeta and run off. Not after everything we'd been through together. I wasn't gonna sever ties.

I wasn't- couldn't, really- leave Gale to die in the Districts.

Or could I?

* * *

I lie in bed, thinking. I have been awake for hours, it's probably past midnight. But I can't fall asleep, wouldn't want to, with my nightmares. And I need to plan. Because I still plan on leaving the district, whether or not Gale would come with me.

_He will come, he will. He'll see sense._

I don't know why I keep telling myself this. I'm having an internal battle, both wanting Gale to come, to be safe, and also am fine with the idea of him getting himself killed in a foolish rebellion, if that's what he chooses. Neither side seems to be winning the war.

Eventually, though, the answer is obvious to me. Prim. I had to protect her, no matter what the cost. Prim, my sister, was the only person on this Earth who I felt truly cared for me, and who I truly cared for. Sure, I would do almost anything for Peeta and Gale and even Haymitch. I would fall into despair if any one of them died. But lately Gale had been... mixed, his emotions sunny one moment and then stormy the next. Peeta, ever since I confessed that I never truly loved him, hasn't been the same. And Haymitch... he's always drunk. Prim isn't like that, at all.

Now that I've made my decision, reality is rushing up to greet me. I had to prepare, I had to get ready. Tomorrow I'd talk to Peeta. He'd see what Gale was blind to, he'd come with me. After all, he did know what it was like to have your life in constant danger, unlike Gale, who had never experienced the Games. He'd understand what I was saying, since he already half knew about Snow and the rebellion.

Then I'd work on my mother and Prim. I was 99% positive that they would go, they would understand. Haymitch... was I really going to ask him? There was no way I was taking liquor on the run, and even if I did so, we'd run out eventually. And you couldn't hunt liquor.

It was better to leave Haymitch here, in the district, as much as it pained me to do it.

The only one left was Gale. Was I gonna give him another chance, after yesterday? He clearly didn't get it, so I wasn't attempting to re-explain it to him. He came or he didn't.

As I drifted off into sleep, I find myself thinking that if Gale didn't agree, I would have to do something. I couldn't just leave him to die.

* * *

The next day is snowy and cold. I wake up relatively early, and I decide not to waste any time on putting my plan into action. I bundled up and headed out to Peeta's.

Peeta answers my knock and invites me inside, looking as though he just staggered out of bed. He pours me some tea and I wrap my frozen hands around the cup. I take a sip and it warms my throat, making me feel safer than it really is around here.

"So what is it?" Peeta asks.

"How do you know something's up?"

"It's 7:00 in the morning, and you look as though you haven't slept a wink. Obviously something's bothering you."

It was nice, how he could read me so easily. "I didn't sleep much. I was too busy thinking, and every time I fell asleep, the nightmares woke me again.

Peeta brushes my hair back gently. This gesture makes me smile, and I continue. Wasting no time, I get right to the point.

"Snow wasn't convinced. There are rebellions going on in districts across Panem. It isn't safe here, we need to leave."

"Leave?" Peeta questions.

"Take to the woods. Never return."

Peeta is silent, thinking, like Gale was. After what seems to me like eternity, He finally answers. "Okay. I'll go. But who else is coming? When do we leave? Do you... Do you have a plan, Katniss?"

Thrilled that he agreed, I answer his questions, one by one. "There's me, you, my mother and Prim," I say. Prim and my mother have not yet agreed, but I'm sure that they will. "And maybe Gale." I finish quietly.

"Maybe?"

"I asked him yesterday Peeta, and he refused. He said he wanted to stay and fight."

"Oh. So... you're just gonna leave him here?"

"I'll give him another chance to agree. But if it comes down to it, yes. I will."

This seems to shock Peeta speechless. Is it because he thought that I loved Gale more than him? That I'd always planned on marrying him, on having a life with him? Was he shocked that I was now throwing away that chance by ditching the rebellion? He must be.

"Well... I'll be by your side always. I-I-." Then he leans in, and kisses me. Shocked and unprepared I kiss him back. I feel something in this kiss that I can't identify. But Peeta's lips feel as though they're be hooked up to an electric circuit. I feel a pleasant shock run through my body, his lips tasting of cinnamon. And then the kiss ends, leaving me wanting more.

"I love you Katniss."

* * *

I tell Peeta about the fragile plan that I concocted overnight. I'm planning to leave tomorrow, just after dinner. I told him to pack a bag with clothing, blankets and some food, and whatever else he thought essential. Then I said goodbye, and told him to meet me at my house tomorrow at the designated time.

I walk home in a daze. Peeta said that he loved me. Peeta said that he loved me. I wasn't sure how I felt about him. It was impossible to think these things through when you were preoccupied with simply trying to stay alive. He or Gale just kept springing something on me and I was supposed to deal with it. It was so complicated, especially with the Games and Peeta wanting to come with me and Gale refusing. And the kisses.

Gale. Every time I think of him a cold washes over my heart, mixed with a sense of longing. I had to finally admit to myself that I wanted nothing more than for Gale to run off with me. After all, it _had _originally been his idea, even though he may not have been wholly serious. I knew that bringing Peeta along would invite many problems if he agreed, but hopefully they would realize that they had bigger problems than fighting over me. But lets face it, all I cared about was keeping them alive and safe, not getting married or anything. Gale would not be safe here.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, something told me that Gale knew how dangerous a rebellion would be, but he wanted to stay anyway. Why? Why did he care so much about freedom he might not ever get to experience if he partook in the uprisings?

When I arrive back at my house, I decide that's it's time to talk to my mother and Prim. I tell my Mother that I needed to have a talk with them, and she agrees, looking at me queerly.

"What is it, Katniss?" Prim inquires.

I take a deep breath. "We're leaving the District. Tomorrow night."

"Why?" My mother asked.

I try to signal to her that I didn't want to speak of it with Prim in the room, but I realized that Prim had to know this stuff is she was gonna cooperate. "It all started in the first Games." I begin.

I explain about the berries, and Snow's visit and the Victory Tour and the uprisings, and how we now had to leave. My mother agrees solemnly, and tells Prim to go pack a small knapsack. Once she leaves the room, my mother whispers.

"Katniss... are _sure _this is necessary? We really have to leave the District?" Surprisingly, I see tears sparkling in her blue eyes. I see that although she is going along with me, it truly pains her lo leave her home behind.

I nod slowly, staring at the ground. "Listen, I don't want to do it either. I love District 12. It's my home too, you know. But, unless we want to die... we need to leave. I'm sorry, but it's our only choice."

My mother nods, her eyes sad but with a determined fire in them. "I understand, Katniss. I'll be ready by tomorrow night."

* * *

The rest of the day passes as quickly as a train from the Capitol. Since I won the Games, we now have enough money to fill a truck. This being said, I determine that Prim's shoes are not fit for the rough woodsy environment, and I buy her a few new pairs. I also purchase a lot of clothing, some a little bigger than my size, so that I can grow into it. My mother empties the kitchen, and Prim helps me gather tools.

By the next day, we're just about done. We eat a breakfast of toast and some eggs. All of us clean ourselves up in the bath. It's the last real bathtub be may ever see; the rest of our baths will be in a lake or stream out in the woods somewhere. Not that I know of anything specific.

During lunch, Prim asks me: "How long will we be out there? In the woods, I mean."

I answer quietly. "Forever, Prim."

Prim seems shocked, and doesn't talk for the rest of the meal.

* * *

We're finished packing. There's nothing much else needed. But there's still a lot left to do.

I head over to Peeta's to see how he's doing.

"Peeta... are your parents coming with us?" I ask him.

He shakes his head, tears brimming in his eyes. "No. I asked them, but my mother doesn't want to, and my dad... has to run the bakery."

I am shocked. Peeta's parents have refused, and he _still _wanted to come with me? He was willing to run off into the woods forever without them? All for me? I don't get it. What did I do to deserve such an amazing act of kindness? Something tells me that Peeta is willing to go because of me, he wants to take care of me. But what have I ever done- or could do- that would provoke such an act of selflessness and kindness? Nothing.

Suddenly the memory of the kiss comes flooding back, and I remember Peeta's words- _"I love you, Katniss." _Does Peeta want to go because he truly _loves _me? Is he willing to leave his family to be with me?

I can't let him. No matter how much I want him by my side, I can't let make such a huge sacrifice when I nowhere near deserve it.

"Peeta... don't go. You don't have to. You can stay with your family."

"No, Katniss. It's fine."

"No, really, Peeta. I'm not kidding. You can't leave your family for me. I don't deserve it. You need to stay."

Suddenly Peeta wraps his arms around my neck and interlocks his fingers. He looks straight into my eyes. "Katniss, listen. I'm going with you. I want- no, I need- to stay with you. Even if it means leaving my family behind."

"But why?"

He leans in so close that I can smell his breath. The smell is like crisp winter air and cookies and I like it. "Because... because you know why. Because I love you."

Then he kisses me again, but this time, I'm not taken by surprise. The kiss is wonderful, and in that moment I forget about Gale or leaving or packing or rebellion. It's just me and him, locked in an alternate universe, arms wrapped around each other. We taste like sorrow and good times long gone. Of the future to come that could hold a flower that may just survive the storm. It's beautiful, and I'm not the one who pulls away.

"Now do you understand, Katniss?" Peeta asks softly.

I nod, smiling. "Yes."

* * *

Peeta has done well packing. I leave him with an extra blanket before I head off.

"See you later."

"You too, Katniss."

I have one thing left to do before we officially set off. Besides eating dinner, that is. I have to go talk to Gale. I need to give him one last chance to repent, to agree, to get his family and run off with me.

But as much as I want Gale to be safe, I don't really want to go speak to him, after what happened with Peeta. How could I live knowing that Peeta loves me and Gale probably does too, only I can never pick either because it'll just provoke dilemmas I don't want to get into? Peeta loves me so much that he is willing to leave his family for me. Gale... is being too stubborn and annoying to even consider coming. How could I do it?

_Selfish. _That's what I am. I'm too concerned about my own problems with Peeta to think about Gale and his family's safety. Gale was right. I can be so selfish.

I put it off as long as I can. I buy some more supplies, check everything over, make sure that everything is perfect. But eventually it's almost dinner time, and I know that it's now or never. I tell my mother that I'll be back soon, and I head over to Hazelle's.

When I enter, she hands me a cup of tea with honey, and smiles warmly at me. The thought of Gale forcing me to leave her behind almost brings me to tears.

"Is Gale here?"

"No. I think he's gone hunting."

"I thought so. Anyway, take this." I hand Hazelle a bag with some meat and bread. With me leaving, I wanted to make sure that she'd have enough. She smiles nad thanks me, and I head off to find Gale in the woods.

It doesn't take me long. I find him stalking some rabbits near our usual meeting place. I pause and pluck a blackberry off a bush as I approach him. My feet crunching on twigs is enough noise to make the two rabbits run off. Gale curses quietly as he desperately shoots an arrow at them, but misses by a long shot. He spins around and sees me.

"Katniss." He says.

"Hey, Gale." I shoulder my pack nervously. I had brought the pack into the woods to keep it safe, just in case.

Gale sees the pack and a quizzical look crosses over his face. "What's that?"

I take a deep breath. "Gale, you know what it is. I came to tell you that this is your last chance."

Gale seems momentarily confused, and then he remembers our conversation from a few days ago. "No, Katniss..." He voice falters. "I-I didn't think you would actually..." He once again trails off into silence, a look of pure shock on his face.

"We leave tonight. Peeta, Prim, my mother, and I. After dinner." My mouth is dry, I can hardly swallow. "Gale... please come. Please." Tears spring to the spilling point, and I blink them back ferociously. I have only just realized that if Gale doesn't agree, there's a 99.9 percent chance that I'll never see him again. And I can't lose Gale.

Gale seems torn. He puts his arms on my shoulders and stares directly into my eyes. "Katniss... " A deep breath from Gale. "I'm sorry. Really, I am, but think of..."

He can't say it. He can't. Because he knows that now that I'm actually going, no amount of "common sense" will change that. He knows that I'm too selfish to care about the rest of the District. Gale wants to stay with me, he loves me. But the part of him saying to stay and fight wins the war. Even though I don't care about the rebellion in the least. If he thinks I'm selfish, he's ten times worse.

He speaks with tears in his eyes. "Katniss, I'm not coming."

The tears spill out of my eyes, and I can't contain my sobs. I don't try to, because this was it. I was losing Gale forever. _Forever._ I feel his hands on my shoulders, I hear him saying something but I don't care. Maybe I'm selfish, but there's also something called being too self_less. _Which is what he is.

It's a good five minutes until I'm even slightly reachable. Gale keeps stroking me. Then, once I've calmed down enough to hear him, he speaks calmly. "Katniss, listen."

"No, Gale, you-"

"Just listen!" I do.

He sighs. "I'm so sorry. Words can't anywhere near say how sorry I am. The fact of this is, we have very different beliefs. You like to flee, I like to fight. Which is fine, Katniss. And I'm sorry it had to come down to us having to split apart forever. If there's anything, anything I can do to make it up to-"

Anger. That's all I feel. Gale can't make it up to me. He cannot. There is nothing in Panem's sake he can do that will make it up to me. All I fell is pure anger that courses through my veins.

I stomp on his foot hard, and then slap him. I would have slapped him again if he hadn't grabbed me, restraining me. But I continue to struggle. "_Gale, Peeta is willing to ditch his family for me! He's willing to do EVERYTHING for this! I'm not asking you to do the same, but you're giving up your life for STRANGERS YOU HARDLY EVEN KNOW!? I can't believe you!" _

His attempts to placate me fail miserably. Eventually, I just slap his hand away and sit down on a rock, unreachable. Gale wasn't going. Gale wasn't going. I would never see him again. Then, for some unfathomable reason, he does the same, sitting on the ground, tears streaming out of his eyes. Has he finally realized what he's done to me?

After a few more minutes, my sobs slow, and I stand up shakily. My face feels dry and blotchy, and I'm sure my eyes are as red as the fire from the Games. My legs are wobbly as I walk away without a word.

I hear Gale calling me back, but I completely ignore him. I continue to walk until I'm nearly out of his sight. Part of me doesn't want to take another step because I know that once I step away from Gale I'll never step back towards him. But that thought is quickly devoured in the sea of anger and hatred that is now sending waves rolling through my brain.

Suddenly a shadow crosses over my head, and a strong wind whips up where there wad only been a slight breeze before. I hear a loud creaking noise, and then a terrifying, heart wrenching, scream.

_Gale._

Was this it? Had the war begun? Were people already dying, being wiped off the map? Was Gale gonna be the first?

Despite my unquenchable anger at Gale, I spin around to see what had happened. I gasp as I see the cause of the shadow that looms above me, and a flood of memories comes rushing back. I see Glimmer, the swollen tracker jacker lumps that cover her body. I see Rue, the hovercraft that came in to lift her lifeless body out of the arena...

I shake myself out of it as I turn back towards the present. Gale is ensnared in a claw, and is being slowly lifted up into the hovercraft, to be taken to who knows where. Probably certain death.

I sprint towards him so fast that my braid whips straight up in the wind. My face is burning with cold, and my clothing is being whipped all over my body from the fierce wind. But I will not let the Capitol take Gale. I need to save him.

I stretch up on my tip toes and I can just grasp the claw that is trapping Gale. My muscles burn as I attempt to drag the heavy metal claw back down closer to the ground. But I doubt that Cato would have been strong enough to do that. Despite all of my efforts, The claw is not lowering. I realize that I have been lifted off my feet and I am now being dragged upward to wherever Gale is going. My shoulders scream as I am lifted five feet above the ground. 10 feet.

"Katniss, no!" Gale screams. His voice is half lost in the wind.

"I'm not leaving you Gale!" I scream back. It was the truth. I couldn't save Gale. So I was going to face whatever he was gonna face with him. Together. Side by side.

But the claw unexpectedly rushes back down towards the ground. I shriek as my stomach does a backflip. As my feet touch the ground I think that I may have done it, that my weight may have been too much for the claw. That I'd saved Gale.

But no. Suddenly powerful bolts of electricity run through the metal. My hands instinctively let go of the claw, tingly pain running through them. The claw is now rising at top speed. I jump for it, but my hands wouldn't have been able to manage it, and Gale is too high. I stare upward, sobbing helplessly, as Gale is grabbed and lifted into the hovercraft. It speeds away, the wind nearly knocking me over, dirt flying into my tear-stained face. And by the time it stops, Gale is gone.


End file.
